In Kabul

My TEDx talk is now online. Enjoy!

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:52:07 +0430

My TEDx talk is now online. Enjoy!

Hello TEDxVilnius

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:56:43 +0430

Big thanks to the TEDxVilnius team, fighting many difficulties to create a highly necessary and inspirational intellectual event in my hometown Vilnius, Lithuania. http://www.tedxvilnius.lt/ Hopefully there will be video of my talk “Extreme Tourism in Kabul” online very soon. Hello audience! You were lovely!

FUN

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 01:39:35 +0430

FUN:

theskyoutliveseverything:

i’d like to graffiti “F” next to UN

I was in Kabul for ten days in March 2010, and because we were there for such a short time our group had relative freedom to move around the city then. However, I've been hearing that security has been deteriorating since then to the point where westerners go out even less than they did when I was there. Did any of the westerners you met who live there full time say anything about that? Also, the one thing we weren't allowed to do was walk around on the streets. Did you do that much, or encounter any problems if/when you did?

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:13:00 +0430

I walked around the streets every day without any problems. Most people said hello or ignored me. Some kids swore at me for fun a couple of times. I was only asked for my passport once by the police the whole time I was there. I met women who went out in the daytime alone but wouldn’t do that at night (same in London, right?). I didn’t hear anyone say they were going out less, but there was a general feeling that things were getting slowly more restrictive. Of course, many people I met were under heavy security protocols and couldn’t go 20m down the road without an armoured car… but that seemed to be overcaution rather than an accurate assessment of the risks. As my friend said, “security guys never decrease security, they just increase it”.

DId you get lost alot? - Recon

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:54:00 +0430

Hehe… The streets aren’t signed, but you just get taxis everywhere and sometimes the taxi driver doesn’t get lost. There’s a street known as Rubbish Street because it used to be full of rubbish. There’s also a few streets where live electric cables are exposed so you shouldn’t really walk there if you are drunk.

Bye bye Afghanistan x

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:27:23 +0430

Bye bye Afghanistan x

Videos uploaded, time for a shave.

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:16:00 +0430

Happiness is fibre-optic internet and a smooth chin. I will continue blogging non-explosion Kabul news here, and maybe one day I will go back… but until then - enjoy the archive, ask me questions, and tell your friends.

Random workshops and retail outlets on the way back to Kabul...

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:06:47 +0430

Random workshops and retail outlets on the way back to Kabul from Bagram. When I say random, I mean solarpanel teapot birdcage.

Poppy Palaces. I wonder why they are called that?

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:00:34 +0430

Poppy Palaces. I wonder why they are called that?

No girl can resist a ringtone serenade and a bag of uncut...

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:57:00 +0430

No girl can resist a ringtone serenade and a bag of uncut sapphires from this guy.

The Panjshir Valley looks like it’s rendered by an X-Box.

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:52:00 +0430

The Panjshir Valley looks like it’s rendered by an X-Box.

F-15!!! Yes I am an aerogeek. So what.

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:42:21 +0430

F-15!!! Yes I am an aerogeek. So what.

Attack on the Intercontinental Hotel

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 02:02:30 +0430

Attack on the Intercontinental Hotel:

I didn’t report suicide attacks that happened while I was in Kabul, that’s not what this blog is about. But on the day I flew out, this happened. The feeling I got in Kabul was that the situation is getting slowly worse, and it’s a shame to get such obvious evidence.

Leaving Kabul

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:18:00 +0430

I’m off to the airport… more updates when I get back to the internet.

Houses in the Panjshir Valley.

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:18:54 +0430

Houses in the Panjshir Valley.

Somebody call George Clooney’s lawyer.

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 16:19:10 +0430

Somebody call George Clooney’s lawyer.

Trip to the Panjshir valley. Several armies have failed to...

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 15:30:00 +0430

Trip to the Panjshir valley. Several armies have failed to invade this place because it’s surrounded by steep mountains and there’s only one road. The people don’t support the Taliban or Al Quaeda, they resisted the Soviets, and they don’t let the Americans do much either. We also visited the memorial of Afghan national hero Ahmad Shah Massoud who was assassinated by Al Qaeda on Sept 9th 2001.

Had a great afternoon at the fountain where Skateistan started....

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:49:00 +0430

Had a great afternoon at the fountain where Skateistan started. We took megaphones and had a beatbox jam with the kids, they played with our cameras and demonstrated some fearless barefoot skating. Most of these photos were taken by them. Maximum respect to Jake for hooking this up, hopefully we’ll have some good video online soon.

"Your government say they came here to help. So why are they killing civilians?"

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:57:00 +0430

“Your government say they came here to help. So why are they killing civilians?”

- Try answering that question while a couple of Pashtun guys stare at you.

Smashing up the French Cultural Centre for White City’s...

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:29:00 +0430

Smashing up the French Cultural Centre for White City’s homecoming gig after they toured many places ending in ‘stan. Photos by David Gill - more photos, videos, music and info here: http://biginthestans.com/